Does vitamin D affect testosterone levels?

A new study published in Asian Journal of Andrology found that vitamin D deficiency is correlated with testosterone deficiency in Korean men.

Testosterone plays an important role in maintaining muscle mass, mood, the production of red blood cells, bone health, and sexual function. Testosterone deficiency can cause many detrimental changes to the male body.

A deficiency in testosterone may cause a man to lose his sex drive, experience erectile dysfunction, develop osteoporosis, feel depressed, and lose muscle mass. Low levels of testosterone have also been suggested to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality.

Research has provided evidence for vitamin D’s role in reproductive health outcomes, such as in polycystic ovarian syndrome and erectile dysfunction. There has been relatively little research evaluating the role of vitamin D in testosterone deficiency.

Recently, researchers compared the vitamin D and testosterone levels of 652 Korean men over 40 years old.

The researchers found that vitamin D deficiency, defined by levels less than 20 ng/ml, was independently associated with testosterone deficiency. Men with vitamin D deficiency were 2.65 times more likely to have testosterone deficiency compared to those with levels above 20 ng/ml.

“The higher level of vitamin D was associated with higher total testosterone and free testosterone levels in Korean men,” the researchers concluded.